I'm not sure how much they actually were able to eat, but they did manage to scatter quite a bit of seed.
I think the sunflower seeds were what they liked best, but they also sampled the thistle seeds on the deck and ground.
The temperature was about minus 25F, so not too bad for these guys to be out foraging.
While mom was intent on eating seeds, the calf seemed more interested in scratching his head on the post and around the feeders.
After about 10 minutes something spooked them and they trotted away into the trees.
Here's a video of the action.Moose continue to surprise me. This is the first time I have seen them come near the bird feeders, although yesterday I saw tracks that came up to the deck and looked like a moose had been up on the deck briefly.
11 comments:
I'll never complain about squirrels again. Great shots.
This is amazing! I would not have ventured outside, either. As Richard says....no more complaining about squirrels! :)
It looks like the calf was having fun rolling the feeder round his ears, our dogs do that to hanging things.
But wow, its really amazing to see those photos...you don't think the mooses were having an identity crisis and they thought they were actually birds, do you?
And minus 25??????? YUCK!
The Mom is a hunk! I wouldn't step outside either. Enjoyed the pics and video.
They really dumped a lot of seed on the ground. The little devils!! Enjoyed the video. The little guy made me laugh, rolling it around his head! Silly thing. They must have been pretty hungry to raid the bird feeders huh? ...debbie
Elaine this is AWESOME! I love moose! I'm so glad that you are respectful and keep your distance. The mamas especially can be brutally violent! It's hard to blame them... nature is a brutal place to live!
Thanks for sharing!
Wow! These critters could go through a winter's supply of bird feed in the blink of an eye!
I remember once when I worked at an archery mail-order business a gentleman from Alaska call for some equipment and related his moose hunting story. It seems that he drove out of town and left his truck parked along the road while he hunted moose with a bow for a few hours to no avail. Upon returning to his truck he discovered that a bull moose had found it and had virtually destroyed the front end with his antlers.
I have to contend with Deer visiting our feeders, they stretch to the base of the feeder to lick the seeds up with their tongues.
They seem so small compared to the moose!
Great pics Elaine, I love moose also, and what I wouldn't give to have one or two come up to my feeders !! awesome photo shoot eh !!! Lucky you ...
Richard and Cheryl, it does make a squirrel or two kind of inconsequential. Last winter we had a little squirrel come out of hibernation periodically and tunnel through the snow to the feeders. Those little guys can be determined.
Heckety, too funny! I don't know about an identity crisis, but all the redpolls stayed away while the moose were there.
Connie, yes, moose are big animals. Our deck is about three feet off the ground, so they really have quite a reach.
Debbie, a lot of the thistle seed had already been spilled by the redpolls, but the level on the feeder definitely went down quite a bit. I don't think they are too hungry yet. They looked pretty healthy. They normally browse on trees in the winter, but I think this was just a bit of a treat.
Penny, oh, yeah, you never want to mess with mama moose. Nature is pretty brutal and she needs to be to protect her babies from the natural predators.
Coy, funny story. In this case, hunters 0, moose 1.
Wanda, the moose are much larger than deer, more the size of a horse. Whenever you are close to them you really realize how big they are.
Bonifer, I see moose quite frequently, but this was definitely a special event. I am waiting to see if they make the feeders a regular stop on their rounds.
Elaine, great shots and fun video. The Moose are pretty darn tall, and I wouldn't go out there either!
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